Beijing, 3 Mar (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Zelenskiy once again called for the establishment of a no-fly zone in Ukraine on 1 March. However, in recent days, both the top brass of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, who has vowed to vigorously support Ukraine, and the leaders of the United States and Britain, who have made harsh remarks about Russia, have rejected this proposal in unison.
This is a video footage of Ukrainian President Zelenskiy's speech taken in Kiev, Ukraine, on February 25. (Xinhua News Agency, photo by Potopleova Nadya)
What is a no-fly zone
No-fly zones, also known as no-fly zones, refer to airspace in which any aircraft without special permission is prohibited from flying into or over, and there are two main forms. One is the control measures adopted by sovereign States in special circumstances and at special times in specific airspace within the scope of their territorial airspace, and the establishment of such no-fly zones is the power conferred by national sovereignty;
On March 17, 2011, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States, representatives of some members of the Security Council raised their hands in favor. On the same day, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to establish a no-fly zone in Libya. (Photo by Xinhua reporter Shen Hong)
In March 2011, during the Libyan civil war, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution establishing a no-fly zone in Libya. In March 1993, during the Bosnia and Herzegovina War, the Security Council adopted a resolution authorizing Member States or regional organizations to take all necessary measures, including military means, to enforce the resolution on the no-fly zone in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which it had previously adopted. In addition, after the end of the Gulf War in 1991, in order to safeguard their strategic interests in the Middle East, the United States, Britain and other countries successively set up two no-fly zones in Iraq, north and south, but did not receive direct authorization from the United Nations.
What role does the no-fly zone play
The analysis points out that in some cases, the no-fly zone has mutated into a new form of international intervention in concrete practice, which facilitates certain countries or military groups to achieve the goal of intervention with limited military strikes, and even promotes regime change.
Taking the Libyan no-fly zone as an example, France, Britain, the United States and other countries carried out air strikes against Libyan government forces while supporting Libyan opposition forces. NATO subsequently took over command of military operations against Liberia. The already precarious situation of the Libyan opposition was able to turn the tide of the war and eventually overthrow the Qaddafi regime.
On June 22, 2020, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov arrived at the Lower Austria Palace in Vienna, Austria, to participate in a new round of U.S.-Russia arms control dialogue. (Xinhua News Agency, photo by Georges Schneider)
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov once pointed out that in the process of implementing the relevant Security Council resolutions on Libya, the concept of no-fly zones has been completely distorted by NATO countries, and in fact it has become a military operation to assist a party to Libya's internal conflict.
After the establishment of the no-fly zone in Bosnia and Herzegovina, NATO airstrikes on the armed ground forces of the Bosnian Serbs, shooting down armed Serb fighters, forcing the Serbs to accept the harsh ceasefire plan proposed by the United States. After the United States and Britain established a no-fly zone in Iraq, there have been continuous conflicts with Saddam's regime in the no-fly zone. The United States and Britain often bomb military and civilian targets in the no-fly zone under various pretexts, causing a large number of Iraqi civilian casualties.
Why NATO refuses
In the above-mentioned examples, countries or military blocs that have established no-fly zones support the weaker party to the internal conflict and have an absolute military advantage over the targets of air strikes. However, the situation in the conflict in Ukraine is different. Russia has the second largest air force in the world, after the United States.
The U.S. Defense Department has made it clear that it will not discuss the option of establishing a no-fly zone in Ukraine at all. U.S. Defense Secretary Austin said in an interview with NBC Television on the 2nd that President Joe Biden has made it clear that the US military will not fight Russia in Ukraine. The establishment of a no-fly zone is bound to lead to a clash with Russian warplanes, "which will put us at war with Russia."
British Prime Minister Johnson said on the 1st, "We will not go to war with Russia in Ukraine", and NATO reinforcements will be stationed in the territory of NATO member states. The idea of establishing a no-fly zone in Ukraine is currently unrealistic and not within NATO's consideration.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attends a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on February 24. (Photo by Xinhua news agency reporter Zheng Huansong)
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated that NATO will not clash with Russia. According to him, NATO has a responsibility to keep the situation in Ukraine under control and "avoid escalating into a war throughout Europe in which NATO allies are involved."
According to the US "Defense One" website, it is precisely because of the fear of triggering open hostilities between the United States and Russia that the United States decided in 2016 to abandon the establishment of a no-fly zone in the Syrian opposition-controlled area. (Participating reporter: Guo Chunju)